Saviour
by SquibbySquiggles
Summary: Waffles and Rattlesnake Jake meet accidentally one day and form an unlikely friendship. But Waffles' past is coming back to haunt him, and with Rango and Jake having visions of death in their dreams, can they work together to save Waffles, and themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Just as a warning, there will be eventual slash, but it won't be heavy. Hopefully the story will be exciting enough if you want to stay and wait a while C:

Disclaimer, I wish I owned these characters, but I don't. :C

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><p>"Awright e'erybody! You get hiding and I'll call out when I'm seeking!" Cried Rango, turning around to face the wall of the saloon. Priscillia, Waffles and some children of Mud, former 'Dirt', looked at each other, looking around for a place to hide. Priscilla and a Horned toad boy hid under a large barrel together, and a small fennec fox hid with her younger porcupine friend beneath Wounded Bird's porch. All who was left was Waffles, who was very confused as to wear to go. He checked every place possible to hide, but there were already kids there.<p>

Of course, he was an adult and he could say he wasn't playing in the first place. That it was a child's game. But Waffles really, really loved Hide 'n run home. The rules of the game were simple. Much like hide and seek. But once you were found, you had to run all the way back to the starting place where the counter was and touch it to be 'safe' and make sure you weren't the counter next round.

He heard Sheriff Rango get ever closer to the number fifty. Thirty. Thirty-one...

In panic, Waffles ran out of mud. Into the desert.

He didn't know why he did it, but the further away he was the better. That and he probably didn't here that Hide 'n run's bounderies were only to near outside of Mud. Still, he ran quickly, finding solace in a near by rock cave that tunneled underground. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Waffles sighed and gave a goofy smile of relief.

Sheriff Rango wasn't going to find him here, no sir.

Still, being the curious horned toad lizard that he was, Waffles decided to survey his surroundings, just in case Rango got close. He saw the tunnel went on quite a bit, and smiled triumphantly. He knew if the Sheriff came too close he could simply dive on into the tunnel and Rango would never suspect he was there.

Of course, all his thoughts drowned away when he heard a sickening rattle behind him.

Waffles gulped, and slowly looked behind him to see firey red eyes staring back with an intensity he had never seen before. Before he knew it, he was hoisted up into the air. He squirmed in the coils- Coils. Waffles' eyes widened in panic. Surely this couldn't be Rattlesnake Jake? He should have moved on in the Mojave desert after he and the Mayor had their 'Special talk', just like Rango said.

"Well... what do I have here?" The Rattlesnake bore his fangs in a sickening grin, looking down at Waffles, not expecting an answer. Of course, Waffles never really understood rhetorical questions. "Well- you do have a hat, and a rattlin' tail. B-but if you're refering to me you're holding a horned toad li-" He squeaked as the coils tightened around him, making him gasp for breath. Of course, that just made the coils wrap round tighter.

Waffles tried his hardest not to breathe in. "I wasn't wanting an answer." Hissed the snake, dragging the lizard deeper and deeper into the cave. Waffles thought it was for sure Sheriff Rango wouldn't find him now but he sure wanted him to. He was slowly blacking out, gasping for another breath but the coils just got tighter. The lizard saw a glowing orange light behind Rattlesnake Jake's silouette.

And then the world went black.

When Waffles woke up, he found himself staring at a fire, readily made. He looked around nervously, seeing the Rattlesnake wasn't here. But the cave was filled with tunnels, and he knew that if he picked the wrong one, he could be in much bigger trouble than just Jake. Rattlesnake Jake. He swallowed again, hearing the rumble of coils on dirt. He closed his eyes, trembling and wishing his pappy were here. Or Sheriff Rango.

"Wake up." The snake sneered, flipping Waffles onto his back. The lizard jumped, eyes wide and sitting up quickly. The Rattlesnake chuckled darkly. "Don't fake sleepin', lizard. I know when your breathin' changes." Wafles trembled, listening to every word he said.

"I- I didn't mean none by it-" he squeaked. "I- I wus just scared in case you wus gonna eat me." He avoided eye contact. Even Waffles' mind could comprehend at that moment he was speaking to a legend. Jake smirked, lifting his hat and leaning in close behind the lizard, intaking his smell of fear. "Naw, I already ate a few days ago. Still full after the Mayor." He cackled.

Waffles turned around too quickly and fell on his backside. Jake blinked in surprise but kept a harsh smirk on his face. "S-Sheriff Rango said you and Mayor wus just talkin'! Special talkin' more like!" Waffles said, not believing that Rango would lie to him; nor that the Snake would actually eat anyone.

Rattlesnake Jake's smirk widened visibly, and that made Waffles' pupils constrict. " 'Special talkin'? Is that the best he could do?" Jake grinned to himself devilishly, but took a moment to realize that the lizard did seem a little slow, more like a child. "Say, what else did he tell you. No more lies, I reckon. Or did he learn from me last time?" His fangs peaked out of his grin, making Waffles all the more uncomfortable.

"He-He just tells us stories about books. Good books too. Books seem mighty interestin'." Waffles said, eyes glued to the floor. The Snake rolled his eyes and made his way over to the other side of the fire, knowing that would make him look terrifiying through the flames. "Why don't you read then, boy?" The twang in his voice made Waffles curious, though he knew it was because his fangs were so big it was affecting his speech.

"I'd like to read, but pappy said it were a- a 'useless talent' that what he called it. Wus much better doin' work on a ranch." He beamed at the memories. "I loved pappy's ranch." The Rattlesnake looked over, a little annoyed as he had never had a place to stay for long, and this Lizard chose to stay in a small minded town instead of a family ranch? "Then why don't ya go back to it? There's all the water ya'll simple towns people need in dirt- 'Mud', ya'll can just take as much as you want and head on back." He seemed to be aggitated, coming towards Waffles. It made him back away against a wall.

Jake stared at him intensely. "Why don't you go back to were you wus from boy?" The twang hit Waffles again, but he was too scared to notice it. "I-I cant!" He stuttered, his eyes covered by his hands in fear. The Rattlesnake's tail wrapped around his body tightly, and his insides felt like they were going to burst. "Why?" Jake spat out some of his venom to the ground.

Waffles eyes filled with tears of pain. "Ain't nothing left home- Pappy's ranch burnt down and he wus shot just before it." He choked, desperate for any sort of breath. Jake's coils loosened as his eyes went wide. Slowly, he let down Waffles, who was catching his breath back and hugging himself.

"Yer pappy... got shot?" He asked, looking down at the lizard. Waffles nodded pathetically, breath finally back in his lungs. "Yeah. A whole gang came to the ranch wanting pappy's water supplies about a year ago when the dry started. Never knew who did it." The memory seemed painful, but Waffles tried his best not to show it. The Rattlesnake saw this and commended the Lizard for keeping his bravery. "Similar story with my pappy." Muttered Jake to make Waffles feel more at ease with telling him.

Waffles looked up wide eyed and beamed. He was glad he wasn't alone. "Wow really? That's so terrible!" Jake looked unimpressed at the Lizard. Why did he tell him again? "Ya'll seem too happy about that." He hissed, which made Waffles' face confused. He could see the thought process happening slowly like a hamster in a wheel.

"I didn' mean it meanly, Jake, sir. I'm just awfully glad I ain't the only one who lost their pappy in a terrible way." Waffles said, his little tail wagged side to side slowly. Jake rolled his eyes again. "So what, did yer pappy owe them any money or did they just want the water?" Waffles seemed confused by the question, and thought for a minute. Jake was about to comment on his slow thought process when Waffles finally answered.

"Pappy did know a few bad people. Like Momma. She always wanted money from pappy, so she'd send her boys to get it from him. And he always paid them. So I don't understand why anyone would shoot him." He said wonderingly. The Rattlesnake interrupted his thoughts and told him his. "Maybe yer pappy wasn't in on a -collection- day." He joked, chuckling.

But that seemed to trigger a reaction in Waffles. His eyes slowly got wide, like he realized something. Jake looked down at him, and if he could, he'd be raising his brow. "What's got you riled up all of a sudden?"

"Camping. Pappy took me camping and we wusn't back in time to give Momma the money." Waffles stared at the ground dully. "He wus shot next day. All makes sense now." He looked up, and almost smiled. "Thank you, Jake, sir. You helped me figure out what happened to my pappy."

Jake was taken aback by this. He didn't mean to 'help' the lizard. It was simply a joke, a mock even. Still, the lizard seemed content with his new found evidence so Jake simply nodded his head. "My name's Waffles!" Said the lizard cheerfully, forgetting the entire conversation. Surprised by the swift change in subject, Jake nodded again.

"We already know who I am." His fangs peaked out in a handsome smirk, looking down at the lizard. "Don't we?" Waffles swallowed and nodded his head. "Y-yes Jake sir. M-might I enquire, s-sir, why you're so close to Mud?" The Rattlesnake sneered a little, looking into the fire.

Waffles watched him curiously, looking to the fire then back at the Snake. Jake curled up a little, but all it did was made him look taller. "I'm callin' out the Sheriff." He chuckled evilly, looking down at the shocked lizard, pleased with the reaction.

"B-but I thought you and Sheriff Rango wus brothers!" Exclaimed Waffles, which let him have his head plonked by the barrels on Jake's tail. "You don't actually belive that bullsnake, do ya?" He hissed, making Waffles shink visibly. "W-well, ya did call him out to be a liar and he did look mighty guilty walkin' away into the night..." Jake groaned, he did not know any creature to have such slow realizations. Waffles was it? His name fit his personality.

"Say, Jake, sir? H-how long have I been here?" Waffles questioned gaining a glare from Jake. "N-Not that I dislike your company! But I was playing a simple game with Sheriff Rango and the others and I-" The Rattlesnake shook his tail, silencing him. "You been here a few hours now. I dun squeezed yer little body too tight and you passed out." He was not going to apologise for that one, the silence was wonderful while it lasted.

Waffles tried to figure out how far away it was from afternoon that day. "So- it'd be late in the evening now, right?"

Jake nodded his head. He spat again, away from the Horned toad and wrapped his coils around himself. It was late and he wanted to be up early to call the Sheriff out. Waffles remained looking confused and another emotion Jake wasn't sure of. He then realized loneliness. Slowly, he uncoiled himself and looked down upon the lizard again. "Don't tell me you have someone to nestle up to in 'Mud'?" He grimaced at the name change. He didn't like changes.

The Lizard shook his head. "N-no sir. But I do like to wish Rango an' Beans good night, and tell Miss Priscilla her favourite story, and keep Spoons company while he rounds up the last of his Road Runners." He sighed. "I just feel bad I won't be there to help them good folk tonight." He lay down, looking at the ceiling of dry sand above him.

The Snake seemed surprised that suck a slow lizard could do so many things without getting his mind jumbled up in a big, messy heap. But then he realized what Waffles was doing and he found it almost sickingly sweet. Jake betted that since his pappy died, Waffles became more protective of his friends and put them infront of himself, and he got the feeling that was what his pappy was like. Jake shook his head, looked over to Waffles to say something, but the lizard had already fallen asleep. Heaving a husky sigh, his tail wrapped around the lizard and it almost seem like he was cradling him.

Rattlesnake Jake emerged from the cave, and sidewinded his way to the town of mud where a posse was forming to look for Waffles.

"Now!" Shouted Rango. "When we do find Waffles, if he looks dead, or isn't moving, make sure to check with Doc first! He could actually be alive, but sleeping!" He tried to sound professional, but there was anxious muttering in the posse. "But Sheriff!" Cried a Mouse, "What if he IS dead, Sheriff?" Priscilla, oblivious that her statement would be mean, "If he's dead, are we gonna eat him?"

A loud cackle whipped across the air that made the whole town freeze. Rango looked up, knowing exactly who it was. "Jake." He said, as the town's people made room for the Rattlesnake, who was carrying a familar face. "Waffles!" Said Rango, having spotted the lizard immediately. "Let him go, you no good outlaw!"

"You forgotten who I am, 'Brother'?" Hissed Jake smoothly, holding Waffles high up in the air. "Or do you need some- remindin'?" He grinned, fangs piercing the black night with their white sheen. Rango swallowed, but tried to keep a calm face. "N-now I hope you haven't hurt him, Jake! Waffles is one of the nicest folks in this town and-"

"And what would you do if I did hurt him? Kill me, 'brother'?" He grinned, bringing the sleeping Waffles around to look at him better. He still had a goofy smile on his face. Jake pretended to grimace and lowered Waffles to the ground in front of him. He waited a few moments, then barked; "Well? Ain't nobody gonna pick this 'good' soul up?"

Wounded bird and Doc were quick to intervine, and Jake slithered his way to Rango, his coils wrapped around his tiny form. He whispered close to the Sheriff; "Now listen here, 'Rango', I'm going to be visiting this here town a little more often then I should, and when I do, make sure that there Lizard is around and talking'." He lowered Rango, but still managed to trip him up before stretching out into the dark sky, only his firey eyes looking down at the town folk.

"You know the 'Tradition'." He grinned, fangs white againsted the dark sky. "I'm gonna keep it. It's not going to be an innocent... yet." Before anyone knew it his tail was wrapped around a road runner, and he sped off into the desert. Spoons was shaking with grief. "My best runner..." He spoke softly, head looking at the ground. Ambrose was quick to lead him away and toward his home for cactus juice.

Rango looked towards Waffles. "Doc, has he... has he poisoned him?" He was afraid to ask for the answer. Doc looked up, and his expression was baffled. "Not a scratch on him Sheriff. He's just sleeping finely."

The Sheriff looked up and off into the black distance. What was Rattlesnake Jake up to?


	2. Chapter 2

What will happen in this chapter? Read on to find out!

Disclaimer, I really, really wish I had these characters.

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><p>It was a few weeks since Rattlesnake Jake had dropped Waffles back into town, and being the simple towns folk they were, the residents of 'Mud' forgot about the ordeal quickly. But not Rango. He was still thinking over what the Serpent had said to him. It confused him to no end. He just couldn't figure out what it was the Snake wanted. He wasn't exactly clear when he spoke, or perhaps he was and it was just Rango's fear of being squeezed to death by his coils that distracted him.<p>

In anycase, he thought back to what the Snake said.

_Jake slithered his way to Rango, his coils wrapped around his tiny form. He whispered close to the Sheriff; "Now listen here, 'Rango', I'm going to be visiting this here town a little more often then I should, and when I do, make sure that there Lizard is around and talking'."_

The 'Lizard' Jake refered to was Waffles, the local horned toad lizard who had a child like personality and mind. He recalled the day he was playing hide and seek with said lizard and Priscilla, and then he suddenly disappeared. Little did he know that he'd been kidnapped by the nutorious Rattlesnake Jake, who had just left Dirt with a terrified Mayor a week and a few days earlier. The Chameleon shuddered in thought.

When he questioned Waffles about it, the lizard was simply baffled that he was carried back by the snake. He explained to Rango that he was hiding under a rock about ten yards out of town and suddenly Jake found him and took him down a series of tunnels. Then they 'talked'. But Waffles refused to tell the sheriff what about, only that it was nothing important. Then Waffles fell asleep and woke up to the concerned faces of the Doc and Wounded Bird staring down at him.

Rango thought this to be strange. But Rattlesnake Jake hadn't come into town yet and he was slightly thankful for that.

Of course good things don't last long.

The rattling of the galting gun was heard from every corner of Mud. Rango told everyone to hurry inside and waited patiently, but anxiously outside the Sheriff's office, looking up at the Rattlesnake who seemed pleased to see him, much to Rango's displeasure. He tipped his hat in respect the legend. "Jake."

Jake gave him a scary toothy grin, but tipped his hat the slightest way downward. That was all the Sheriff needed. "I oughta ask you a few questions as to what you're-" Jake cut him off by hissing at him. "Don't think just 'cause you got a little respect from me you can walk all over me, Brother." And the snake made sure to put emphisis on the word 'brother'. He gained a satisfactory wince from Rango, and looked around.

"So where are all the town's folk?" His firey eyes looked down to meet Rango's. "It's a mighty fine day to be outside isn't it?" He chuckled, his tail rattled. It echoed through the empty streets of Mud. Rango, who winced a second time stood up tall. "They're inside, Jake. A-and you should know I won't be having to taking another soul!" He closed his eyes quickly and braced to be squeezed to death. It never came.

Jake was simply staring at him with the most unimpressed expression the Chameleon had ever seen. "That's it?" He saw the top of the Rattler's lip lift up in distaste of Rango's sentence. He obviously expected better of the Sheriff, but he wasn't the one looking up at a huge, legendery snake capable of squeezing him until his insides pop out.

"T-thats it." The Sheriff agreed. Jake barked out a laugh, circling him much like he did before when he disgraced him in front of the whole town. The thought made Rango shake. "You've got nerve, sheriff, you got nerve. But- I'll listen. For now." Rango was about to thank him when a familar humming came from down the street. Both snake and Lizard turned to face Waffles, who was picking up pieces of glass from his latest adventure- glass house picking.

Rango turned to look at Jake quickly. "N-now Jake! I do remember what you said to me a few weeks ago- but I really want you to explain yer point before you do anything-" just before he finished the sentence, Jake was half way down the street coming up behind Waffles. "...Rash." He finished, his old voice seeping through. He decided it best to intervine and followed the Snake quickly.

The coils were too fast for Waffles to realize what happened. He choked a little, trying to get his breath back. The horned lizard looked up to see Jake staring at him face to face, with a huge, cocky grin. He blinked, and saw Rango running behind the Rattler shouting 'Jake!' All the way across town. Wondering what the snake wanted, Waffles tried get himself out of the coils.

"Now I wouldn't do that, boy." Jake grinned crookedly, making the lizard freeze. "Unless you want ta' see yer ugly insides. Now hush up. I'm strikin' a deal." Before both Waffles and Rango knew it, Jake had spun around and circled Rango entirely, making the small chameleon's legs shake with fear. Jake could taste it on the time of his tongue. It only made his grin widen worse. That scared Waffles now, who was squirming around in the tight coils.

Jake's tongue tasted the air before coming down face to face with Rango. He grinned toothily, the fangs obviously making the Sheriff uncomfortable. But still, the lizard stood tall in front of the Rattler, and Jake gave him a little credit for that. Only a little. He hissed. "See here, 'brother', I swear," Jake put emphisis on the word swear to mock helplessness. "...that no harm will come to this pathetic excuse of a lizard. But Ah'm takin' him out, and he'll be back all in one piece. But, my price is one road runner."

Rango thought this made no sense. Pay Jake with road runners to have him take Waffles out? Where was the sense in that? He was about to question when Jake cut across him. "And that will qualify as one damned soul from this town." His grin widened. "Now ain't that a whole lot better then yer precious Beans or Little mouse?" He purred, delighted at how wide Rango's eyes became. Numbly, the Sheriff nodded.

"Atta boy, 'brother'. I'll be back after dark." He grinned, and dashed away into the desert with surprising speed. Rango heard Waffles' yelp but stood and did nothing. He looked down, feeling horrible with himself. Beans ran out, embracing him. Priscilla also came out, tailing Beans and coming up to Rango, taking his hand. "Weren't anything else you could do." Beans said softly, touching the Chameleon's cheek.

"I know Beans, but I wish there wus." He muttered unhappily.

Waffles squirmed in the Rattlesnake's coils, not used to being bounded. He still had glass shards in his hands, which might be a reason why his hands felt so numb. Now that he thought about it, he was feeling quite tired. He looked up weakly to see Jake slithering away from Mud through the Mojave desert quicker than anything he'd ever seen before. The movements Jake was making was almost lulling him to sleep, not the odd, numbing feeling in his hands.

Suddenly, Jake dove for cover, which woke the small lizard up a bit. Jake let the smaller go, snarling at him. "What happened? How did ya' cut yourself up so badly, boy?" His hard gaze almost softened at the trembling body beneath him. "Well?" He snapped impatiently. Waffles shivered at his sharp tone, and Jake did love it when things shivered because of him. Instead of thinking bad thoughts, he kept his eyes on Waffles, awaiting the explaination.

"N-nothin' jumped me or anythin', Jake, sir. I swear. I wus just pickin' up glass with my friend Ambrose. S-see, some dunk r-ran around town throwin' glass everywhere and we were pickin' it up like it wus a game." Waffles stammered. Jake's tongue tasted the air, and didn't catch a hint of a lie. He shook his head, at least the lizard told the truth everytime. His lip curled up a little and the smell of the small lizard's blood leaking from his hands. "Let me see the damage." He ordered.

Waffles shied away a little. "I-It ain't nothin', Mr-" Jake cut across him. "Now!" He barked, and Waffles whimpered and held out his hands, showing two deep gashes with pieces of glass stuck in them. Jake sighed, it could get infected if it stayed open like that. His lip curled up a little in a grimace. "Keep them digits open." He ordered. Waffles wasn't about to disagree, even when the Rattler's giant head came towards his, tasting the wound. He winced a little in pain.

Jake took no heed and dipped his tongue in and out of the wounds, flicking glass out quickly. It was a slow process to get every shard out of one palm, so he lifted his head and coiled himself to reach a back pocket on his belt. In his mouth was a bandage, and he dropped it in front of Waffles. The Lizard went to touch it but Jake hissed. "Careful." He said. "Do it after I've done the other hand." He quickly realized that Waffles had no common sense.

The horned lizard nodded and looked down at his palm, wondering if Rattlesnakes had any bloodlust. He quickly became panicked and squirmed away from the Rattler, pressed up against the coils that surrounded him. Jake looked at him impatiently. "What are you doin'? Yer leakin' ta death and we don't got time to play games." He snapped. Waffles whimpered and looked down at his bleeding hand. "Y-You don't get bloodlust, do ya Jake, sir?" Asked Waffles, his voice shaking from fear.

The Rattler's tongue flickered out and caught his scent. He sighed half annoyed and half sympathy. Obviously, he concluded that what ever he had been taught about Rattlesnakes was wrong. He'd have to teach him everything himself. Jake detested teaching. "I ain't got bloodlust boy. I ain't no hawk." He wrapped his coils around Waffles and shuffled him along so they were almost face to face. Waffles' face reddened slightly, and he held out his hand. He felt the flickering of Jake's tongue on his palm and shuddered at the pain that followed.

Jake looked at the glass on the ground in disdain. Why didn't the Lizard tell him sooner that he had glass in his hand? He looked back at the smaller, watching in slight amusement as Waffles picked up the bandage, then dropped it in pain, then tried with his other hand and did the same. And he kept trying. The Rattler intervined, rolling his eyes. "Open yer hands up." He ordered, and got an instant reaction. Taking the bandage in his mouth, he wrapped the bandages twice around his hands loosely. He then looked back to Waffles.

"Ya'll can do the rest yerself." He said, spitting out a piece of glass that must have stuck on his tongue. Waffles pulled at the bandages until they were good and tight, and beamed his thanks to Jake, no one else had bothered to help him when he cut himself before. Jake spotted something in his pocket and nudged his leg with the tip of the gattling gun. "Say, what's that in yer pocket, boy?"

The small lizard looked up, then down at his pocket and pulled out a picture book. "Oh, this wus my daddy's when he were a tike. There are some words in here, but I don't... that... I can't..." He strained, shuffling embarrssedly. Jake remembered that Waffles couldn't read, and motioned him to open the book. "Lets see what it says." He murmured, peering over Waffles' shoulder.

Rango looked up from the bar at Wounded bird's words. "What do you mean, 'he cares'? Is this like some joke yer kind use to lighten the mood?" Rango asked, quietly so no one else in the bar could hear. He knew the folks here were keen on rumours, but if this one was true he would not let it get out. Wounded bird looked at him with tired eyes, arm still in a sling from were Jake had shot him a few weeks before.

"He take lizard, because he care. Could see it from far away, not very obvious, but obvious enough." He spoke softly, taking another sip of the water that was once so precious in Dirt, and now so ordinary in Mud. Rango went back to staring at his cactus juice, changing from green to brown in thought. Jake cared...? That was impossible to believe. "He probably just wants something Waffles has, Deputy." He sighed.

Wounded bird looked down at him, and raised a brow in question. "Why you care so much? Means nothing to you what Rattlesnake do in spare time." Rango changed from brown to pink, and stared at the cactus juice like it was the most interesting object in the world. "What do you mean? I'm only scared for Waffles' safety, just as I should be as Sheriff. He's a good ...lizard." He stood, downing the cactus juice for all it was worth. But he forgot that it WAS cactus juice, and quickly took a drink of water to wash down the taste, hacking a little. Wounded bird cocked his head and watched the Sheriff walk out of the bar ranting and showing off his bravado.

He smirked knowingly, before going back to drinking his water quietly.

The question Wounded Bird asked Rango did play on his mind. Why did he care? It wasn't like the snake meant anything to him, nor Waffles. He rubbed his head confused. Couldn't he just be a nosey lizard? He paced for a while and watched as it got dark in the sky. He decided to take a walk out of town, but stayed close to the border. He looked at the Spanish Daggers, which looked at him back.

Rango nodded his head at the Walking cactus, which turned it's head back. He blinked, rubbing his eyes. There was something about the west... When he was by himself, it didn't feel like he was alone. Like something was always watching him. He looked back at the Spanish dagger, and saw it's eyes glowing. He was captivated, walking up to it. Enticed by it's gaze. The Spanish Dagger then leant down, and it's top touched Rango's forehead.

The sheriff's eyes glistened, and he fell to the ground unconsious. The Spanish Dagger, meanwhile, was up normally, and looked like it never moved, but had Rango resting beside it. There was no wind, and the sun set behind them. Rango didn't even stir to the town calling his name. Not even Beans or Priscilla's calls woke him.

The two girls ran up to him, and shouted for the rest of the search team they had gathered to come over. The Doctor was first to inspect him, and concluded it'd be best to take him to his medical room. Beans fidgeted nervously, and held Priscilla close as Spoons and Ambrose carried Rango to the Doctor's home. She tried to keep calm, the last thing Priscilla needed was Beans freezing up.

Priscilla looked up. "Miss Beans, whats wrong with Sheriff Rango? He's not usually this sleepy at this time of the afternoon." Beans looked down, and knelt beside her. "Uh, well, the Doc thinks Rango might've passed out from over exhaustion. It happens sometimes to everyone. The Sheriff has been workin' hard recently. Maybe too hard." Beans frowned and stood up.

"C'mon, we can go see the Doc and ask him what the hell is up with Rango now."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, the author here. C:

The story is Three little Kittens from Despicable me, just saying as a disclaimer c:

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! If I make a few mistakes I'm sorry!

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><p>Rattlesnake Jake looked at the colourful, yet mouldy book in disdain. Surely Waffles wasn't serious about not being able to read this. He was probably making a fool out of himself if he tried, and then the Horned Lizard would laugh at him. Growling, he turned to Waffles, and nudged him roughly with his tail, making Waffles jump. "There. What's the first word, son?" He hissed, keeping his anger at bay... barely.<p>

Waffles swallowed, then looked at the book. His voice was shaky. "R-Rattlesnake Jake, sir... I-I don't know how you say that..." He whimpered, but tried his hardest. "W-what letter is the first-" Jake cut across him with a sigh. He could smell the fear on him, but no lying. He supposed he was wrong and coiled up a little. "Never you mind. Hold it up for me, I'll read it to ya."

The Lizard beamed. "R-Really? I ain't heard this s-story since momma left!" He grinned excitedly, and put his fingers into the three cat puppets, wriggling them around. "Look, look Jake, they're movin'!" He beamed, and Jake was bemused by the little lizard's happiness at such simple things. "Awright, awright. Quiet down now so I can concentrate on the words." Jake murmured, but still spotted the little cat puppets wriggling. Sighing, he continued, quite boredly.

" 'Three little kittens loved t' play,

They had fun in tha sun all day.

Then their momma came out n' said,

'Time for kittens t' go ta bed.'"

Jake looked very embarrassed at the simple nursery rhyme, but Waffles seemed very happy to hear it. The Snake was amused by this and continued, against his will.

" Three little kittens started t' bawl,

"Momma, we're ain't tired at all." "

The snake hissed a little. "This is ridiculous, boy, it's a child's story. Why d'ya even want to listen to it?" Waffles started to tremble again from the snake's tone. "I-I just-" Jake's eyes bore into his and he had to look away, he felt the power the Snake had and visibly shrank into the ground. "I- Just wanna to hear it since no one has time t' tell me it..." He said softly. "An' whut makes you think I've got tha time?" Jake murmured, watching as Waffle's shaking subsided.

"Y-You're took me from town." Waffles said bravely. Jake chuckled at that. "Well, you got me there kid. Awright, where wus I...?" He mused, then found the place he was before.

"Their momma smiled n' said with a purr,

"Fine, but at least y'should brush yer fur."

Three little kittens with fur all brushed said,

"We can't sleep, we feel too rushed!" "

Jake watched Waffles beaming at the book, and felt a horrible feeling in his stomach. It was warmth, but unlike he had felt before. He shook his head ignoring the feeling. Waffles had noticed he stopped and looked up, his eyes a little sad. "I-If you wanna stop-" Jake cut across him quickly. "Bah, hush up an' keep listenin'. The story ain't finished yet." He continued.

"Their momma replied, with a voice like silk,

"Fine, but at least y'should drink yer milk."

Three little kittens, with milk all gone,

rubbed their eyes an' started to yawn. "

Waffles yawned and leaned against Jake's coils, eyes hazy. The Rattler felt the warmth flare up but dared not to stop. His eyes flickered off the page momentarily to look at Waffles, seeing he was half asleep. Debating if he should stop for a second, he thought it better to just finish the story to save the lizard for asking again.

"'We can't sleep, we can't even try."

Then their momma sang a lullaby. "

He watched Waffles' eyes flutter downwards. He carried on.

""Good night kittens, close yer eyes.

Sleep in peace until ya rise.

Though while you sleep, we're apart, "

Jake paused, his eyes squinting a little. They then went wide as he continued to the last line.

"...your momma loves you with all her heart..."

Waffles was well asleep by now, using Jake's coils as a pillow to rest his head upon. Jake nudged the book closed and thought about the words, that sickly warmth feeling flaring up in the pit of his belly. Gently, he wrapped his coils around the sleeping lizard, wondering if he should wake him and take him back too town.

Against his better judgement, he curled up as well, his coils almost protectively around Waffles as he fell to sleep thinking to himself, 'What the hell am I doing?'

Jake awoke to a mixture of coughing and a smell of burning leaves. He saw that Waffles had started a fire and was cooking something... or trying to. Slowly, he moved, his coils slipping behind him and pushing him upward, hovering over Waffle's head to get a glimpse of what was burning. It seemed to just be insects on a flat rock, but it smelled delicious. He flicked his tongue out, unknowingly knocking the lizard's hat off his head.

"Oh." Waffles blinked, picking up his hat. He turned around and almost fell into the fire at seeing Jake hovering over him. " J-Jake sir!" He squeaked, looking away in respect. "I-I wus just cookin' breakfast. I-I didn't mean no harm!" He stuttered uncomfortably, holding his hat up like a defensive shield. Jake had to smirk at the feeble attempts to keep him away.

Still, he left without permission, and Jake wasn't keen on Waffles going anywhere alone in these caves without him. His coils slipped behind Waffles slyly, and he went down to his level so they were face to face. "I ain't too mad, son. Y'got me breakfast, so I'm content. But you leave without my permission again, y'might end up in a lot more trouble than you are right now."

Waffles trembled and pressed himself against the scaly wall, and realized there was no way out. He swallowed, ready to take punishment. He closed his eyes tightly, and his hats shook holding the hat. He waited, and waited, but the punishment never came, he opened his eyes and saw the Rattler staring at him confusedly. Waffles lowered his hat, and swallowed again.

"A-Ain'tcha gonna punish me none, Jake sir?" He asked shakily, squeezing the hat in his hands. Jake grinned a little. "That what made you so stiff? Boy I ain't gonna squeeze yer insides out fer gettin' me breakfast. Now sit on down, ya'll can return to town after this." The coils disappeared and Jake was huddled under himself, the cooked insects on the ground. Waffles watched the snake pick them up with his tongue, getting tiny rocks and sand caught in his mouth.

Shyly, the lizard offered; " Jake sir, w-would you like me to help you eat?" Jake looked up upon hearing this. He grinned cockily, amused to see how this would fare."Go on ahead, ain't got nothin' t'waste." Waffles picked up a cooked desert fly, and flushed a little. "O-okay n-now, open yer mouth." He said, cheeks a little redder.

Jake seemed amused and shocked that he was actually feeding him. Not just throwing it into the air for him to catch, though that would have been interesting. Still, Jake complied, and made sure to show off his poisonous fangs, which made Waffles feel just that little bit more uncomfortable, and scared. Jake tasted the fear in the air and mentally grinned.

Tentively, Waffles slowly put the cooked fly into Jake's mouth, then took his hand away quickly in fear that the Snake would bite it off. Jake closed his mouth slowly, and swallowed the fly, grinning down at Waffles with the most devilish grin. He decided to make this as uncomfortable as possible, as punishment for leaving without permission.

"Wus tha first time I had someone alive inside me." He grinned perversely, and watched Waffles' realization of this. The Lizard had turned a very bright red. Jake's voice came out huskily, his coils slipping behind Waffles unnoticably. "Ain'tcha gonna feed me some more~?" He purred, and watched the lizard squirm under his gaze.

"O-okay Jake sir..." Waffles swallowed, and both of them repeated this stage a few times before Waffles became less tense about it. Jake was delighted of course, he liked this 'special' treatment. He grinned when the food was all gone, watching Waffles wriggle uncomfortably, and lean against his coils. "Ready t'go, son?" He asked.

The little lizard nodded his head, and was quickly swooped into the Rattler's coils, and speeding through the desert into town, where everyone had quickly hid. Jake laughed darkly, positively estatic at how much the town feared him. He caught no sight or smell of the Sheriff, and found that rather odd. He let down Waffles, who balanced himself using Jake's coils. The snake looked around, looking annoyed and the tiniest bit confused.

He saw the Doctor peaking out behind the window, and barked at him. "Where's tha Sheriff, rabbit?" The Doc shook, and came out a little more into view. "H-he-" The rabbit struggled to get his words out, and Jake was losing his patience. "I said, where is tha' Sheriff, 'Doc'." Jake snarled, rattling the gattling gun on his tail irratably. Waffles noticed this and looked up in interest too.

"H-He's inside. Passed out from something last night. W-we reckon it was the desert heat." The Doctor stuttured, and moved out of the way quickly as Jake made his way into the medical room, or what looked like it. Waffles bounced after him, smiling up at the Doctor, who gave him a warning look. Waffles took heed and padded over to where the Snake had stopped.

Rango lay in the bed, seemingly asleep. Jake couldn't smell him, and that worried the snake. There was no stench of death either. If he wasn't looking at Rango, he'd swear the Sheriff wasn't even here. He rattled his tail, and watched as the Sheriff's eyes opened slowly. But instead of bright yellow eyes, Rango's eyes had changed into light blue, and he looked at Jake dazedly.

"Wus the matter Sheriff...?" Murmured the Snake, knowing by the state of the Sheriff things were serious. Rango lifted his arm like it weighed as much as a boulder, and pointed at Waffles. Then to Jake himself. He whispered something, and Waffles and the Doc covered their ears like something was causing them pain. Jake watched as the both writhe on the floor, and looked back at Rango, his eyes narrowing. "Better have a good explaination, Sheriff."

The chameleon's eyes met his, and suddenly Jake heard a voice that came from Rango's mouth, that wasn't his own. It said, "The Horned lizard is in Danger, Grim Reaper. The state of the Sheriff is my doing." The voice was eerie, and it made Jake coil up to tower the small lizard. "Who are you? And what have y'done t' the Sheriff?" He barked, then winced as he heard a loud screeching sound come from Rango's mouth. As soon as it stopped. the voice whispered again.

"Grim Reaper, ask no questions, As saving the Horned Lizard will be your sanctuary, and saving yourself will result in death. When the test comes, leave your life to save another's, you'll be rewarded." Jake's eyes widened. "I ain't gonna die for nobody, I serve me and myself alone!" he hissed, then coiled up tightly as the screeching came again, louder this time. "Listen, Grim Reaper, for that is what awaits you when you pick yourself over the Horned Lizard. A thousand years of screaming."

Jake stared at the Sheriff, who was now standing on the bed with he's hands out in front of him. The voice called again. "Rest your head in my hands, and see what may become the new." Jake couldn't control himself, as he felt his head lower even though his mind was screaming at him to stop listening. Rango closed his eyes, and Jake's widened as his pupils turned blue.

In front of him was a room with a blue tint from the vision, and a large group of desert owls crowded around a female Horned toad lizard. His gaze swept from her to the figure lying before her in a fetal position. It was Waffles, who was shuddering, his clothes ripped and eyes bloodshot. The female Lizard said something, and the owls pulled out a long, burnt snake skin. Waffles sat up quickly and looked at the female lizard. His eyes grew shiny as tears ran down his face. He touched the snake skin and hugged it close. Jake's throat tightened.

He heard Waffles whisper above the voices and mocking tones of the owls. "I'm sorry, Jake... I didn't want you to die..." Jake's eyes widened as he saw the scene unravel, the snake skin torn away from Waffles as the Owls teased and beat the little lizard, before holding him over a boiling pot of water. Then suddenly, the doors came off the hinges and he saw himself, panting and covered in blood, staring at everyone with murderous intentions. Then the voice boomed at him.

"This path is the one if you are selfish, and choose to save yourself rather than the Lizard. The scene continued as he watched himself go on a riot before he reached the female horned toad lizard, who said something and smirked, pointing the gun at Waffles. The little lizard's eyes widened as Jake's eyes looked over to him. His eyes hardened and he looked back at the female Lizard, then slithered behind her quickly. To his horror the female shot Waffles, and he fell on his side. Jake, was cradling something in his coils.

Then, he watched as owls flew from every window, and covered him. He watched himself thrash around, until a shot was heard and he was still. Jake felt himself heave, but he kept it down, looking away from the scene. The voice boomed again, but more softer, and prouder this time.

"That was if you chose the wrong path, and although I cannot show you the right path, please take heed and know that the right path will be more fortunate for you, and the lizard as well."

Jake fell to the ground, and groaned in pain at the headache he had. His pupils still had some icy blue in them, a steep contrast to his red eyes. "What the hell...?" He muttered. He watched as Rango fell backwards onto the bed, groaning as well in pain. He looked towards Waffles and the Doctor, as they slowly stood up holding their abused ears.

Rango looked at Jake, eyes wide and scared. Jake said nothing but mouthed at him to shut up, as to not let the others know of the vision. Jake then turned to the other two. "Would you both mind leavin' me n' the Sheriff alone? We need ta' talk." Doc didn't have to think twice and ran. Waffles, on the other hand, looked at them both, then walked away slowly, holding his head in his hands like someone had hit him with a plank of wood.

The snake looked towards the chameleon, and sighed. "Didja see that too?" He murmured, to which the Sheriff nodded furiously. "I didn't see what you were holding though, before you- ah..." He stopped, swallowing. "But what ever it was, must have meant a lot more to you than Waffles." Jake hissed a little in annoyance. "Ain't got nothin' worth anythin'." He muttered, but remembered the book he had read to Waffles the night before, which reminded him of something he couldn't put his rattle on.

"Anyway," Rango shrugged, "...who was that Lizard in the vision? And why did she have your snake skin, and more importantly, why did she have Waffles?" Rango murmured. Jake silently agreed with the questions, but lay in thought for a while. The Sheriff looked over at him, and felt pity. "It must be hard watching yourself die." He said, accent slipping. Jake noticed this and looked at him.

"' 'S why I ain't talkin' much. Tryin'a think what I can do ta' stop that from happenin'. What 'right path' was that crazy voice in yer head talkin' about? If that's the wrong path, what's the right? I gotta sacrifice myself to save myself? What is this bullsnake?" He snarled, slamming his tail into the wooden ground angrily. Rango shuddered at the raw power Jake produced in that instant.

Jake seemed to notice this and forced himself to calm down. No need to scare the only one he can talk to about this with, away. He sighed angrily, his tail flickering in annoyance. He had a horrible feeling about what was meant to take place. Rango stood up, legs wobbling from being passed out since yesterday afternoon.

Hesitantly, he touched the coils of the snake, gaining a glare. Jake said nothing. He felt comforted, and pitifully weak when the Sheriff did that. "Git off Sheriff, I don't need ya or anyone." He murmured, his eyes looking outside the window. Rango sighed softly, and took his hand away, staring out the window too. "Even outlaws got to have comfort sometime Jake, but maybe you don't want it from me." He looked up, and the snake's eyes had narrowed, looking at him now.

"Then where should I get my comfort, Sheriff? A warm blanket an' hot milk at home?" He sneered. Rango stood proudly. "I was thinking more of a lizard you know." He pulled on his belt, and walked out, leaving Jake look confused to himself. The snake shook his head and hissed in annoyance, before slithering out. Outside, Waffles was waiting for him. He slithered passed at first, ignoring concerned questions from him.

But then he felt something stinging his belly, and turned his head around to see the little lizard looking at the ground dejectedly. Sighing, he slithered back, coiling up. "Ain't nothin' to worry about. Just talked t' the Sheriff about things you don't need t'worry about." He said, almost softly. Waffles beamed up. "T-That's great, Jake sir-" Suddenly, coils wrapped around the small lizard tightly, but not aggressively. Waffles yelped as Jake rested his large head beside Waffles on his coil.

The lizard blinked, and hesitantly touched the back of Jake's neck seeing as it was right in front of him. Jake sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he unwrapped himself from Waffles, and shot away into the desert, leaving the Lizard looking very confused, but with a warm feeling in his stomach too.

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><p>Things are starting to get deep now D:<p>

Ooooooh what is the vision? Is Jake going to die? WHY ALL THESE QUESTIONS WITH NO ANSWERS?

Oh, leave in the reviews whos voice you think that was C:

And let me know if you like the story so far!


	4. Sorry!

Sorry guys for the long wait!

I know ;; I'm so stupid and it's been a few months, but I swear in a few weeks, I will produce the last two chapters of Saviour! Because school is killing my writing skills and I just haven't been feeling very inspired, but I promise they'll come out it a few weeks! Gimmie a chance to finish school. c:

It'll be an exciting conclusion, I assure you ;D

(Well, I hope so anyways!)

Forever yours, Squibby 3


	5. Chapter 4

_Hey guys, Squibby here c:_

_Question from HerpDerp- Why is it rated 'M' ?_

_Well, I guess I want to be safe because there is going to be murder in the following chapters, and possibly closeness of Rattlesnake Jake and Waffles. POSSIBLY. It depends if I could actually write that. So rated M for murder. Haha._

_I'm so funny. *slaps knee* xD Joke._

_Disclaimer, I don't own any of these characters D; I wish I did though._

_Soooo I'm new, and this chapter took forever to do. *facepalm* Forgive me!_

_SFGGFHSFS And without further ado, the long awaited Chapter four!_

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><p>It had been over a week since Rattlesnake Jake had visited Mud. Sheriff Rango was worried about this, after the vision he and Jake shared while he was unconscious. Though, unknown to Jake, Rango had another vision the following night. And another and another. He hadn't been getting any sleep the past week, and it was showing when he went out to patrol the bounderies of Mud.<p>

The first vision he dreamed of was happy. The people of dirt were cheerful, and were celebrating. The vision moved forward, and at the front of the town were Waffles and a bruised Rattlesnake Jake, a new scar upon his right eye. But he was smiling too. It looked as though the two had been to hell and back, which didn't really surprise Rango in the slightest with Jake and everything. But they were smiling and happy, which confused him entirely, since the only time he thought Jake happy was when he was shooting.

The second vision was unpleasent. It was Jake's gatling gun, bloody and battered in a black room. It glowed in the darkness, and started to rattle by itself, despite the owner not there to rattle it. It shot into the darkness, but there was no sound and it's barrels were empty. But as Rango looked down, a pool of blood formed by his feet. He shrieked, and at that point woke up to a concened Beans, who said he had been twisting and turning all night. He couldn't sleep after that and decided to go on an early patrol that morning.

The last vision just confused him futher. It was Waffles, he could tell, but he was only a silhouette against a rising sun. There was a red heart shape in the centre of his chest, and he looked as though he was confused, his hands trembling over the red, pulsing heart shape. Behind him came Rattlesnake Jake's silhouette, which moved to the left side. Jake himself had a barely visible heart shape on one of his coils, but it's beat was five times as loud as Waffles'.

Then, to Waffles' right, came a female figure, and Rango didn't know who it was, but it was clear to him by the way she held a pistol pointing at Waffles, and no heart on her chest, that she was trouble. He watched the female's silhouette take aim and fire into Waffles' and Jake's heart, piercing them both. Rango watched the silhouettes fall to the floor, and that's when he woke up again.

Rango was very confused and scared by these visions, but something in the back of his head was telling him not to worry, and he always relaxed at that. But he was still confused. He sat down on the porch of the Sheriff's office, watching the town's people move very quickly. It was like time stopped for him, but was twice as fast for everyone around him. He suddenly remembered it was the town's annual dance tonight. Something the Mayor started a few years ago, to pray for water, but now the town's people just did it for fun.

'Tonight at eight.' Rango thought to himself. Beans obviously wanted to go, and he did too if he was honest. He just felt this strong need to protect, not just Waffles, but the entire town. He sighed, in great dilemma of what to do. He decided to just roll with the town, and if anything happened he swore he would be there for who ever needed his help, even if it was everyone. Taking a deep breath, he stood, and helped the town by putting up poorly made lights. It wasn't much, but it would look pretty in the dark.

Waffles grumbled as Beans fixed his bow tie. He was wearing the same tuxedo as he had used to be a thespien with. His hat was missing but he didn't think he'd need it anyway. The sleeves were still too long and the pants almost made him fall over when he walked. He looked up at Beans and whined to her, for the fourth time which was making Beans feel very irratated. She snapped her head up from fixing his bow.

"Now you listen. This is the day e'erywun in town tries to make a deal outta. An' tonight yer gonna find yerself a purty girl and yer gonna dance with her. Too many time you been sittin' in the corner bein' all lonely and such while e'erywun else gets a purty date and a slow dance." Beans said quickly, tightening his bow a little too much, so Waffles gagged. She realized her mistake and loosened it.

Beans side, putting her small hand on Waffles' shoulder. The horned lizard didn't feel uncomfortable with it there, but it did feel odd to have anyone touch him. Infact, he was sure no one had touched him after his pappy died, except for Rattlesnake Jake. The thought gave him chills. Where was the snake now? Why had he just wrapped around him in a way that felt almost like a hug? He worried these questions would never be answered.

The desert lizard had noticed his daydreaming state and snapped him out of it by patting his shoulder, which made the little lizard jump. Her eyes were concerned, and Waffles dropped his head a little, smiling nervously. "S-sorry Miss Beans. I just ain't that good a dancer..." He said softly. Beans grinned at this. "An' you think the Sheriff and me are? C'mon Waffles, it's jus' fer fun! An' ya might find yerself a little cutie lizard."

The thought made Waffles' thinking process stop a moment. A girl? Interested in him?

Before he could question Beans about it she had gotten up and started talking to Burford, who was trying to get a pesky spot out of an otherwise gleaming mug. Waffles' gaze dropped to the floor. He hadn't thought about girls like that since his pappy died, but maybe it was time for him to grow up. His thoughts travelled back to Rattlesnake Jake, and he frowned.

It wasn't because he was angry with the snake about anything. It was another thought that came into his head, but it wasn't just about girls. What if he and Jake...? Waffles quickly dismissed the thought for a few reasons. One, they were both male. Two, Jake was a snake, and he was a lizard. Three, Jake would probably kill him if he found out Waffles was even thinking about this. The lizard stopped his reasoning and his cheeks went a little red.

When had he started calling Rattlesnake Jake by his first name?

The little lizard sighed, sinking into his seat and pulling his new, large hat over his face. This wasn't working well at all. He didn't know if he could face the snake with all these thoughts fluttering about in his head about him and Jake being... 'involved'. Though the thought was interesting, Jake was ten times as large as he, and could crush him quite easily if he got carried away in hugging.

Waffles had to keep himself from grinning. Jake wouldn't get carried away in hugging. Another thought came into his head and he became very flustered, needing to step outside a moment, managing to slip past Beans unnoticed. He took a deep breath outside, leaning against the wooden wall of the Saloon. He was definitely crazy, or on his way there.

Thoughts about mating hadn't really interested Waffles in the past few months, mostly because he was sure that he was going to die from dehydration. The months he spent in Dirt under the Sheriff's reign were filled with promises of bank robbery, the water supply dimishing slowly, and of course, dying from lack of water in the body. Luckily most lizards and animals had adapted to survive without water for a while, but even then, during those months, their bodies were pushed to their limits.

The horned lizard sighed, slouching into a chair and desperately trying to get his mind off the thoughts he was having about the outlaw. He admitted to himself that he possibly did like Jake a little more than he should, but that was because the snake was so kind to him, let him live, helped him when he had glass in his hands, read him his pappy's storybook...

Waffles swallowed, looking down and figdeting with his bowtie. He then looked up, noticing the lights were on in the streets, and saw the band starting to play. Everyone looked fantastic for a backwater town. Rango and Beans took the first dance, the sheriff in a dark brown uniform, his badge polished for extra gleam, and Beans in a baby pink dress that was a v-neck. Priscilla was in her usual white dress, but her hair was down and had a baby blue hat on. She was starting to dance happily with one of her friends. Waffles watched them all, smiling happily at their happiness. He then looked down again, not having the desire to get up at all.

The Band almost stopped as a familar shadow passed them quickly. Rango said nothing as the shadow almost shot past him and Beans, being the one who had invited the shadow. Wounded Bird, who sat on his porch, smiled when the shadow passed him. A familar shape loomed over Waffles. His eyes noticed a change in light, and the little lizard looked up to see very familar, fiery eyes staring back at him.

"J-Jake sir!" Waffles stood, dusting himself off and trying not to remember his thoughts of before. The snake looked down at him, and grinned crookedly. "Look at 'cha. All dressed up and perdy like. Heard 'bout this shin-dig. Wanted a piece of the action." He snuck a look at the sheriff, who was preoccupied with dancing at that moment. He snorted, then looked back to Waffles. "So, you comin'?"

Waffles seemed confused. "To yer cave, sir?" Jake rolled his eyes a little and edged forward, baring his teeth in a devilish smile. "Naw. Over there." The horned lizard's eyes widened, swallowed nervously. He felt something cold slip under his hand, and looked down to see Jake's gattling gun underneath his little hand. He flushed a light pink, and smiled shyly, heading down to the centre of the street.

The band started playing upbeat music, and surprisingly Jake did not take up a lot of room in the street. He was circling Waffles, but it didn't look predatory at all. In fact, it looked rhythmatic, and Waffles wasn't such a bad dancer either. The little lizard was grinning brightly, obviously enjoying himself watching his feet and looking up at Jake, who was grinning back. Rango warned people not to stare, but he found it hard not to himself, they were almost perfectly matched. The song tunes changed after a while, and now it was a slow dance.

Rango held onto Beans, and Priscilla and her friend decided that this dance was gross, and ran off to play tag. Waffles blinked at the song change, and looked at the other couples. They were all holding onto each other sweetly, without a care in the world. He looked up at Jake, who was looking at them all with his eyes narrowed a little, then looked back to Waffles. They stared at each other for a moment. Jake's gattling gun met Waffles' hand again, and the lizard held onto one of the barrels and smiled sweetly up at the Snake, who returned it with a grin. Both started dancing, silently getting closer.

Waffles finally gave in and leaned against the coils infront of him, making Jake look down in surprise. He felt that terrible warmth in his stomach, only it didn't seem that terrible anymore. Waffles closed his eyes and let the music and Jake's circling guide him across the street, among all the other couples. The lizard looked up and saw Jake's face close to his. He flushed a little, unsure if this was suppose to be him going in for the kiss. Jake look hesitant too, his eyes a little wider than normal. Slowly, they inched closer, Waffles' eyes closed slowly and Jake let his get lidded.

Their lips would have met if Jake wasn't struck in the back of the head with a bat. The snake groaned and dropped to the floor, much to Waffles' horror. A pair of strong hands gripped the horned lizard and he shouted, his eyes wide as he saw his fellow town's people fighting off a gang of owls he had never seen before. He tried to yell out for help but another pair of hands throw a bag over his head, and hoisted him onto what he thought was a road runner.

Rango saw the commotion happen and yelled out Waffles' name, finally managing to kick one of the owls from under him and tried to follow after the gang, which were retreating. He saw Spoons aim his weapon and quickly pushed it up into the air so it fired a different direction. "Hold up Spoons, they got Waffles..." Rango felt his voice dip a little, watching the dust the road runners had made fade into nothing.

Beans ran up to Rango, and forced his attention to the snake on the ground. Everyone circled Jake, and Rango made out a trickle of blood from beneath his hat down his face. He looked to the Doc, who seemed confused as to what just happened. "Doc... you think he's alright?" The Sheriff asked softly. The Rabbit nodded, kneeling down and lifted the outlaw's hat up, inspecting the damage. "Oh yeah, just out cold. But it ain't gonna be fun tellin' him who knocked him out when we don't even know."

"Or that who ever they are, have Waffles..." Rango voice died off after that sentence, waiting patiently for the snake to wake up, and for all hell to break loose.

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><p><em>Mwahahaha, I am so mean! I love you all really c:<br>Hope this isn't too late for you all ;D _


	6. Explanations Sorry again!

GUYS.

I am so sorry I haven't updated yet! :(

A lot of things have been happening and I just haven't had time to write.

A few of these reasons are it's the last year of high school and the exams are getting poured all over me like a great big bowl of custard, and revision is taking away all my free time.

I'm going to try and finish this story in the next few days, and even though it's been a long time, I thank you guys for being so supportive of this story, and I'm glad you stayed with me all this way.

(However much is left of you.)

God I need to watch Rango again and see that sexy sonuvabitch Jake.

I love you guys!

~Squibby


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